This invention relates generally to fuzes for projectile ordnance and more particularly to a dual purpose fuze for activating any one of a variety of explosive and propellant materials of various sensitivities in the projectile.
Artillery projectiles of the same basic configuration may be used as bursting projectiles which carry high explosive to a target where it is detonated, or used as cargo projectiles which carry a cargo (e.g., mines, anti-personnel grenades, or the like) to a target where the cargo is deployed from the projectile. Heretofore, depending upon the particular application of the projectile, a different type of fuze was required. When the projectile carries high explosive the fuze must be sufficiently powerful to detonate the high explosive. However, in a cargo projectile, the fuze ignites propellant (or a low explosive) to eject the cargo from the projectile casing for deployment. In order to operate properly the containment of the propellant within the casing must be maintained in order to provide sufficient pressure to eject the cargo from the projectile casing. Thus, a fuze of a lesser explosive force is required to prevent rupture of the propellant containment by detonation of the fuze. However, such a fuze is not powerful enough to detonate high explosive. The requirement of two different types of fuzes for similar projectiles can lead to errors in arming the projectiles particularly under battlefield conditions. Supplementary charges may be provided to boost the fuze containing a lesser explosive charge. However, this requires additional inventory, more manipulation to arm the (high explosive) projectiles, and presents another opportunity for error.
Moreover, the fuzes for high explosive can themselves contain a relatively large amount of explosive. Handling of the fuzes presents a danger in that the inadvertent detonation of the fuze will by sufficiently violent as to be likely to cause severe injury or death to the person handling the fuze.